Candy Bar Poetry
The way this particular game works is that the hostesses of the party put several items on a tray and cover it with a towel or blanket. Separate the guests into groups. Show the contents of the tray to one group at a time. Each group only gets 30 seconds to try and remember as many of the items on the tray as possible. Then THEY must write a poem about the bride and groom using the names of the items on the tray. The group that uses the most items wins.

Sometimes the poem can go something like... When Alice met Bill, she was thrilled to learn he had 100 Grand. She was so happy she yelled YooHoo and went shopping on Park Avenue. - The poems turn out hysterically funny. Have each member of the group sign the poem and put the finished poems in a memory book for the bride.

However, if what you are looking for is one that is read with intent that it is read aloud by the bride to be as the items are presented to her by the hostess and the letter signed by the groom-to-be:

My dearest SUGAR BABY, I PROMISE this bouquet will bring a SNICKER as you read my message. I am not playing TWIX on you. You are my BIT-O-HONEY and I can always count on you in a CRUNCH. I know that I make you NUTRAGEOUS at times, but I will always TREASURE you. You are my HOT TOMALE and at other times a BIG RED and on our honeymoon I know we will SKOR. Knowing that we will have a GOOD & PLENTY life together is like 100 GRAND on PAYDAY! I love you to PIECES and wish for us a musical SYMPHONY on our wedding day!

HUGS & KISSES, NOW& LATER...

(groom to be signs here)

The poem can be altered to suit your candy needs.

Wishing Well
Using a deep basket decorated in the wedding colors ask everyone to bring an additional item for the bride to put in the "Well". It should be something small like a hand held can opener, note pads, pens, garlic press, staple remover, etc.. Also have everyone write a little note with a warm wish or greeting to the bride AND the groom.

Have custom made t-shirts for the entire Bridal Party to wear on rehearsal night!
Bridesmaids/groomsmen create that last "single night" t-shirt that will be a memory forever.

Thank you notes
These are always difficult for the bride to get out simply because she is usually pressed for time doing so many other things. One way to have each person help out is to buy some thank you cards in advance and as the guests arrive, hand them a blank envelope and ask them to fill out their information. Then when it comes time for the bride to address these, it is already done and there is less chance for address errors.
ADDITION from BLVCC@aol.com
Purchase the thank you notes, and had each guest put their name and address on the envelopes. Then they were put into a pretty basket and I drew 15 envelopes and the guest that were drawn got the centerpieces, and other gifts that were wrapped. Basic gifts like Mugs, cosmetic bags, bath oils, note pads. My guests really liked having the chance to get a special gift.

Penny Game
Give each guest a handful of pennies. (yes, they will have to return them at the end!) Each person takes a turn naming something that they have never done. If another guest has done it, that guest has to put a penny in the Hat, jar or whatever. It's fun because sometimes guests that didn't know each other find that they have something in common.-------Kinda boring, but it breaks the ice and help's to learn something about each guest. Perhaps even something that the bride to be didn't know about her friend!

She said What?
Have two people writing down everything that the "bride-to-be" is saying while she opens her gifts. After she is done, that person says "Okay, this is what (the bride-to-be) -name- will say on her wedding night" then proceed to read what she had said. --- This great idea was sent in to me by:Shelly Clendenin

Stick the Lips
One idea is to have an enlarged photo of the groom on the wall, and each guest would take turns being blindfolded. The blindfold would have a small cut-out pair of lips with a tack or tape. Spin them around and 'Stick the lips on the groom"

Bride Walk
Have the bride wear an apron and walk through the crowd. Pin about 30 different and unusual things on the apron. The group is instructed to pay close attention to the bride walking through the room. Once she is out of the room we ask a group of questions. The twist here is that you ask questions about the bride, not the items pinned to her apron, ie.. what color are her eyes, shoes, was her hair up or down. It works out pretty good because most people are caught off guard.

Words of Wisdom
On their invitations they asked us to bring a gift (natch) and some "words of wisdom" in a poem, song or saying. One woman sang her Irish ditty on marriage; another read out two romantic poems; some women brought "wise words my mother told me"; one woman played a lovely sentimental song; and others brought sayings they liked. (My offering to the bride-to-be was "Give a man a fish and he'll be fed for a day, but TEACH a man to fish and you can send him away for a whole weekend!") Just before present opening we were each asked to give our "words of wisdom" and the total result was funny, clever and inspirational. I think the trick was that the request was made on the invitation so we had time to prepare our words (submitted by a reader)

GuestBook
Guest books don't have to be just for the reception. Get one and have everyone sign it and write a quick little wish for the happy couple.
ALTERNATIVE: When having your invitations printed, have another post card size sheet printed with "How I met "Bride" and "Groom". Plus leave room for the guests Name, addresses and Phone number. It makes returning thank you notes much easier and it's fun to see how each person is connected to the
newlyweds. (Allison Stanton, Wahiawa, Hawaii)

Table Cloth
Get everyone to sign a table cloth (ahead of time if you can) then have all the names embroidered over in the colors of the wedding. Or buy one and have everyone sign their best wishes on a pretty table cloth.

Pottery
I wanted to share an idea that worked well for me...In many cities now there are paint your own pottery stores. Recently I hosted a bridal shower for a close friend in such a store. The shower was a great success. Each guest painted a piece for the bride, whether it was a mug, a platter, or a vase. The bride told everyone what her colors were at the beginning so they could match them, if they decided too. It was a fun activity for bridesmaids as well as the grandmothers of the bride and groom. (Even flower-girls could be invited and enjoy themselves.) While the bride may not display all the items, she definitely ended up with some fun memories. We had lunch (which I provided, not the pottery store) before we painted and also all brought a regular gift from her registry. (submitted by Robyn Willson Austin, TX)

Ribbons.
When the bride opens her gifts, someone collects all of the bows and ribbons from the packages and attaches them to the back of a paper plate (use the theme plate if you can) and make it into either a bouquet or a hat.

Name and address
Names and addresses of the giver can get lost during this time. Have each guest write their names and addresses and a phone number on the back of an index card. Then on the back of the card have them write a wedding wish. This way when it comes time to send the thank you notes, the bride and groom spend less time tracking down all this information.

Familiarizing
Learning about the other guests can be a little uncomfortable too. So in order to break-the-ice one thing you can do is to have everyone fill out a card that has some "getting to know you questions" ...things like: How do you know the Bride? Related? Do you have any advice for a solid marriage? What is the one thing that you want to be remembered as / by / for?... and have a list of about 8-10 questions. Then have everyone read out the responses and Give prizes for best, funniest..responses.

Why save it for Halloween?
As an alternative to the "formalities" of a wedding shower, forget the traditional "Dress-up" that everyone tends to get into. Instead, have all party guests wear a wedding dress from a previous wedding - or formal dance (i.e. .. prom ..ball...etc..)(or they can bring it to put on later) Then have all the guests vote on the Wackiest, Most original, most out of date, or whatever you decide. VARIATION: 3 people need to be excluded from this since they will get to be the judges, form several teams (a team should have 3-4 people, or more if you have a lot of guests) to MAKE wedding dresses using only these things: butcher block paper, scissors, tape, glue, colored tissue paper, ribbons and sequins. The dress needs to be wearable because when done, there is a fashion show. The group that wins is chosen by the 3 judges.

Compare lists
When the gifts are opened it is customary to write down each gift and who the sender is. Normally only one person does this. This time have 2 people do this. Each person would be responsible to mark down the item as well as the sender. Sometimes in the excitement of what the gift is, you loose track of what the item was or who is was from. If 2 people write things down, you can compare them later. Sometimes the description of the item is different then the other persons perception of it. One person should write the gift on the back of the card and the other on a separate piece of paper.

Tray Walk
Have a tray with a bunch of assorted items on it, such as scissors, spatula, spoon, knife, fork, etc. (This assortment is good for a kitchen shower.) You can also have all sorts of things on the tray, such as a paper clip, a mirror, lipstick, hand towel, rosary bead, stapler, etc. It can be as generic as you want it to be, or you can tie it into a theme for the shower. The tray is filled with various items. The host sets the tray in front of the guests for about 30 seconds or a minute and then removes the tray and its contents. Then the guests have to write down all the items that they remember from seeing on the tray. The person with the most items on their list wins a prize.

Cotton Balls
Blindfold one player at a time, sit them down with an empty bowl and a very large bowl of cotton balls. Give them a large plastic serving spoon and ask them to feed the baby... Or feed your husband. The goal is to be the one who transfers the most cotton balls to the other bowl. Because they are so light you can't tell if you have any in your spoon and they are easily spilled out of the bowl and spoon. Give everyone 15 to 30 seconds to get as many as possible. Do a trial run before hand to get an idea how easily the spoon picks up... You may want to use a smaller spoon if it is too easy or give more or less time. You probably don't want to count individual cotton balls, so if you have a close draw, then have a spoon off.

The Shoe Game
My aunt told everyone to place one shoe in the center of the room in a large pile. Then she handed everyone their own "secret number" that no one was allowed to share with anyone else. She then told everyone to retrieve their shoe when you heard your secret number called. When she called the first number, everyone dashed out to the center of the room to grab their shoe. It turns out she gave everyone the same number. It was a scream and something that I'll never forget. (submitted by reader Monique)

Wooden Cutting Board
purchase a large wooden cutting board, and have each guest sign it, have someone use a sodering iron to woodburn the names and wedding date, after its all signed, varnish it and it will keep forever (note: this cutting board should be for decoration purposes only) (BLVCC@aol.com)

Bachelorette Party Idea
It can be done at the bachlorette or shower depending on the type of guests you invite. What I did was I sent invites out for the bachlorette party-at the bottom I typed: You said you'd never wear that God awful bridesmaid dress again, here's your chance. Wear an old dress to the party...shhhhh dont tell the bride. If you havent the misfortune of wearing a bad dress...or have recently rid yourself of them, utilize your local thrift shop. There will be prizes for ugliest, brightest, oldest...etc. It was a riot. And dont leave the bride out make sure she has retro wear too. When you hit the bars and clubs its to die for....hoards of women in bad dresses! Its worth tons of laughs!

Bachelorette Ideas, games, party favors and much more: Bachelorette Party Fun

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